March 1, 2008 - William E. Eder Named Vice President of Marketing at Nordic American Smokeless Inc.. Eder is a 40 year veteran in marketing, the last 24 years of which were with U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company, where he was integral in successfully developing and implementing marketing programs focused on the introduction of new brands and developing communication media aimed at educating adult consumers about the unique attributes of smokeless tobacco products. During his recent 24-year tenure at U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company, Eder served as director, marketing services and publisher of the adult consumer magazine Heartland USA. Nordic American Smokeless Inc. is a marketer and manufacturer of Swedish styled smokeless tobacco products (snus). Nordic American's flagship brands, Nordic Ice and Klondike, are scheduled for shipment in the first half of 2008. Taboca USA to change name to Nordic American Smokeless..Image: snus induced oral lesion.

February 28, 2008 - More on the quick fix for outdoor smokers.. Philip Morris, the tobacco giant, is planning a “snack-size” cigarette for the smoking-ban age. The compact cigarette will be shorter than existing brands but just as smoky: it will deliver the same potency while taking less time to puff. Marlboro Intense is designed to appeal to employees who are forced to take quick outdoor cigarette breaks while at work, often in cold weather. Philip Morris will test the cigarette in Turkey but believes it has worldwide potential, with more than 50 countries now having bans on smoking in public places. The cigarette, which is 7.2cm long, compared with the normal 8.5cm, may offer some solace to smokers who face an even colder trip for their breaks if MEPs have their way. Last week, as part of the battle to combat climate change, MEPs demanded a ban on patio heaters, which many outdoor smokers rely on for warmth at work or while socialising. Stephen Pound, the MP who voted against the ban and then stopped smoking the next day, said: "The desperation of the smokers knows no limits; it’s only matched by the desperation in Philip Morris trying to corner the market." Related news briefs: More on Philip Morris International of the Future.. and Tomorrow Altria Board Expected to Announce Decision to Split.... Read more...

February 28, 2008 - BAT to Acquire Most of Denmark's ST..British American Tobacco (BAT), the world's second-biggest cigarette maker, struck its second deal in a week with the purchase of Skandinavisk Tobakskompagni's (ST) cigarettes for $4.1 billion (2 billion pounds) as it beat forecasts with an 11 percent rise in 2007 earnings. BAT, which agreed to buy Turkey's state-owned cigarette maker Tekel last Friday, is buying 100 percent of the cigarette assets of privately-owned Denmark-based ST with snus and roll-your-own tobacco. The Danish assets that BAT is buying account for 60 percent of cigarette sales in Scandinavia, led by its Prince brand, and the deal will give BAT market leadership in Denmark and Norway, and around a third of the Swedish and Polish cigarette markets. It will add around 30 billion annual cigarette sales to BAT's 684 billion sales in 2007, or around the same size as Tekel's annual sales of 32 billion cigarettes. BAT Chief Executive Paul Adams added that although Scandinavian markets, like other mature European markets, were seeing cigarette volumes declining around 2 percent a year with public place smoking restrictions and high excise tax, the business it was buying was very profitable with high margins. ST units including Prince cigarettes and Fiedler & Lundgren, the Swedish maker of snus powdered tobacco.

February 27, 2008 - Liggett is following closely in the footsteps of Reynolds American Inc. (RJR) and Philip Morris USA (PM) in testing SNUS in select U.S. markets. In May 2008 Grand Prix SNUS will be sold in seven of the eight metropolitan areas being used by Reynolds for Camel Snus - Columbus, Ohio; Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas; Indianapolis; Kansas City; Orlando, Fla.; Portland, Ore.; and Raleigh, NC. Philip Morris is selling Marlboro SNUS in Dallas and plans to begin testing it in Indianapolis in March. United States Smokeless Tobacco Company (UST)has been trying to market a SNUS product, Revel, since 2001 with little success. Taboka Tobaccopaks, a PM SNUS product, did not perform well and is being pulled. Tobacco companies are in agreement for SNUS to catch on and be a strong seller it's going to require more public awareness and education. Tobacco companies are limited on how this can be accomplished. They have tried reducing prices, giving away free coupons at c-store and also various bars, printing brochures about SNUS and web sites identifying the glories of sucking on a tea-bag that must be placed in one particular place in your mouth without any movement for at least 30 minutes. Our friends in Dallas tell us when the Marlboro SNUS first arrived, it seemed very expensive, but now there are deep discounts and price promotions. Lots of the promotion has been in conjunction with Marlboro cigarettes – promotional signs on cigarette displays, samples of SNUS and coupons in cigarette packs, etc. with little success. Nik Modi, a UBS tobacco analyst has stated, "The Marlboro brand name is not as transferable as many originally believed." The guys that know the smokeless tobacco category tell us history clearly shows that it is difficult to extend brands from one category to another. In order for PM USA to be a significant player in the smokeless tobocco category they'll need to expand through acquisitions (e.g., PM-UST, PM-Swedish Match). Tobacco companies have used various taglines such as for Skoal Dry "No Smoke, No Spit, No Boundaries", Camel SNUS "Pleasure for Wherever" and Marlboro SNUS "Flavor Anytime" to try to arouse curiosity. Those that have showed any interest are youngsters. Here's a comment from a Metroblogging User - Portland, OR where Camel SNUS is being tested. It doesn't take a genius to see what a boon SNUS would be to underage users. Heck, you could sit in class with some in your mouth and no one would be the wiser. You could probably hide this stuff from teachers and parents pretty easily. ("You SNUS, You Lose" posted by PAgent at 1:50pm on January 8, 2007). You wonder if any market research was done at Liggett before making the commitment to enter the SNUS market. With the decline in cigarette sales maybe there was no alternative if you want to stay afloat in the tobacco business. Ronald Bernstein, the president and chief executive of Liggett, thinks his company will be the first to offer a price-value alternative to consumers. Others are already trying to sell SNUS at lower prices without success. Murray Kessler, Chief Executive Officer at UST - the world's leading producer of moist smokeless tobacco products - tells us that nine out of 10 smokers that try smokeless reject the product. As Swedish Match, the world's second largest maker of snuff, has learned in Russia a country with no prior SNUS tradition and with 65% of males smoking - it is a matter of marketing an entire new behavior pattern and teaching consumers. In Raleigh, N.C., a test site for Camel SNUS at c-stored RJR sales people have been removing SNUS advertisements and replacing them with cigarette signage. The growth in the smokeless tobacco area is driven primarily by strong volume and share gains in the lower priced brands — namely Longhorn (Swedish Match, N.A.), Husky ((99cents Raleigh area, USSTC), and Grizzly (Conwood) NOT PREMIUM. In 2006 in the United States cigarettes accounted for more than 90 percent of expenditures on all tobacco products. The expenditure on cigarettes in 2005 was $82 billion and for other tobacco products was $6.2 billion (of this the smokeless tobacco category was about $3.7 billion). In order for cigarette companies to make up for the loss in cigarettes sales they have to aggressively market smokeless products doing everything possible to recruit new users for years to come. The Craver article - Bill Godshall, the executive director of Smokefree Pennsylvania, a proponent for the use of SNUS by inveterate (hard-nosed, long established, deep-rooted) smokers that refuse to quit is now advocating the use of SNUS for all smokers. One of his comments: "The lower cost of the Liggett product may encourage more smokers to go smokeless." David Howard, a spokesman for Reynolds, said RJR plans to add nine new test markets for Camel Snus by early May 2008. ( in part - "Liggett follows suit with its own SNUS - Competition will help gauge consumer acceptance Camel spokesman says" by Richard Craver, Winston-Salem Journal, 2/27/2008) See news brief below for further information on Leggett Group's new SNUS entry. (TobaccoWatch.org)- Incomplete..Read more...

February 26, 2008 - MEBANE, N.C. --(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vector Group Ltd.’s (NYSE: VGR), subsidiary, Liggett Group, announced today that it plans to introduce Grand Prix SNUS, a Premium quality pouched tobacco product designed for adult smokers who are interested in smokeless tobacco alternatives to cigarettes. Grand Prix SNUS will be available in a variety of test markets beginning in May 2008. The product is the latest addition to the Grand Prix brand the fastest growing U.S. cigarette brand (discount, 14 varieties) over the past two years. Grand Prix SNUS will be sold at value pricing and will be available in three varieties: Original, Spearmint and Wintergreen. Grand Prix SNUS will be manufactured in Sweden under an agreement with Snusab, a Stockholm-based manufacturer of premium SNUS products. ( This relationship with Snusab has been called a partnership.) “We have been watching the growth and development of the U.S. SNUS market with great interest over the past 18 months and believe there is a significant opportunity to introduce our own SNUS product and build on our highly successful Grand Prix tobacco franchise,” said Ronald J. Bernstein, President and Chief Executive Officer of Liggett Group. “Grand Prix SNUS will offer adult consumers the highest quality product at affordable pricing. We are excited about this product launch and are confident that its taste and value proposition will appeal to a wide range of adult consumers. We are very pleased to work with Snusab, our Swedish-based manufacturing partner, in bringing premium quality SNUS products to the U.S. market.” Grand Prix SNUS will be available in select retail outlets throughout the following areas: Portland, Oregon; Kansas City, Missouri; Indianapolis, Indiana; Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas; Raleigh, North Carolina; Orlando, Florida; and Columbus, Ohio. Vector Group Ltd. is a holding company that indirectly owns Liggett Group LLC, Vector Tobacco Inc. and New Valley LLC. More information on the Vector Group Ltd. Liggett Group has been a North Carolina-based manufacturer of high quality cigarette brands for more than 100 years. The company is the proud maker of successful national brands such as Liggett Select, Eve, and Grand Prix. More information on the Liggett Group LLC. Swedish SNUSab is a small but growing brand of SNUS; loose products include: Roots Cognac Snus, Roots Lime & Licorice Snus and Roots Pilsner (Beer) Snus and the portioned (pouches): Kicks Lime, Kicks Wild Berry and Kicks Winter Green. (tobaccowatch.org) Read more...